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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28288242">Rhaegar Targaryen, Son of the Dragon (SI as twin of Aenys Targaryen)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonspectre/pseuds/Dragonspectre'>Dragonspectre</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, House Targaryen, Self-Insert</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:42:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,537</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28288242</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonspectre/pseuds/Dragonspectre</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I was sipping a cup of hot chocolate planning out some Christmas presents and some pranks for my friends. In the blink of an eye, I was turned into a baby and in another world. If God wanted to prank me I decided I should prank the world I was born in. The problem was I am in Westeros where people are falling dead like flies.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>90</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>King's Landing, 20 AC</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Despite the morning chill in King's Landing, the orphans of Holy Light orphanage was happy. The children were running around the small garden that the orphanage housed watering the many flowers under supervision of many a Septa. Some children were tending to the hens and their hatchlings feeding them as well as collecting eggs from their nests. Some of the older children were washing the cows and helping the septas to milk the cows. Another group of children were helping in the kitchen preparing a modest breakfast. Watching over all these activities was Septa Jenny who ran the orphanage.</p><p> </p><p>While Jenny oversaw the children many of the Septas were preparing the orphanage to receive some special guests. While Jenny ran the orphanage it was only on the behest of her patron. It was he who funded the orphanage and Jenny was forever grateful for it. King Aegon the Dragon ruled from Aegonfort but it was his second son that funded the orphanage. Many institutions in King's Landing was funded by the young prince.</p><p> </p><p>Just thinking about the young prince made Jenny sigh wistfully. Queen Rhaenys was truly blessed to have given birth to such a kindhearted son. It was too bad the Queen passed away untimely to see her children grow up. If the Queen was alive Jenny was sure the kind Queen would be proud of her youngest son.</p><p> </p><p>Before Jenny dedicated her life in service to the Seven she was in love with a man. Unfortunately, her lover fell victim to sickness and died. She had hoped to bear his children but after the death of her one true love, she became a Septa.</p><p> </p><p>Nonetheless, the love she held for children led her to take care of the orphans.</p><p> </p><p>After the war of conquest, there were many orphans in Crownlands and King's Landing. She was only happy to lend in help in any way she could. But her work was hard with meagre contributions from the lords and wealthy merchants. Many times she had petitioned the newly crowned King Aegon for aid but her pleas went unheard. But all hope was not lost as one day Queen Rhaenys held court and Jenny was heard by the Queen.</p><p> </p><p>Sympathetic to the plight of the poor the kind-hearted queen aided Jenny's efforts and the queen released funds and land for building an orphanage. Everything was going smoothly until one day the kind queen fell in Dorne leaving her twin children motherless. With the death of Queen Rhaenys, her hopes of building an orphanage remained a dream. The following years were of great turmoil as King Aegon and Queen Visenya unleashed flames of vengeance upon Dorne.</p><p> </p><p>After long years of war, an uneasy peace was negotiated between Dorne and the rest of Westeros. With the realm in peace, Jenny had hoped the King and Queen would contribute to the orphanage but she was wrong. King Aegon was focusing on building his own castle while Queen Visenya was not sympathetic to her cause.</p><p> </p><p>Months passed by and Jenny cursed the Dornishmen for taking the life of Queen Rhaenys. The late queen had granted them a lot of lands in the Rhaenys' Hill but the funds for building the orphanage was not enough to complete its construction. She had to depend on tents to house the many children under her care and many a night she and the children slept on empty stomachs. For Jenny hunger was bearable but what she could not bear was the wails of the children under her care. It burned her soul to hear the cries of children. Oftentimes she would pretend to work the fires to deceive the children that food was being prepared.</p><p> </p><p>She and her fellow Septas would beg for any help but oftentimes they were turned away by the wealthy and powerful. Desperate she was prepared to sell her body to provide for the children under her care but then he came. It was a chance meeting with the young Prince Rhaegar that changed the fate of her and the children.</p><p> </p><p>Jenny along with a few children were looking for some sympathetic patrons in the Street of Silk. The children were so thin with barely any colour left to their skin. Most of them were too tired to even walk but she hoped someone would be kind enough to give them a loaf of bread. Till noon they wandered until finally, they received a half-eaten apple from a rich lord of the Reach. Her heart broke when some of the children eyed the apple with hunger. Seeing that she cried and cried but the gods remained silent to her plight.</p><p> </p><p>She fell to her knees with the begging bowl in her hand. The half-eaten apple silently mocked her but what hurt her most were the cruel comments by the Reach lord and his retinue. They mocked her and the children and there were many in the crowd to laugh along with the miscreants. It was then that a small boy moved near her and placed a pouch full of gold dragons in her bowl. Her dazed eyes found a small child in a black hood but she knew those purple eyes. The same kind eyes of Queen Rhaenys. The silver hair she could see under the hood was another proof that she was before royalty.</p><p> </p><p>That was how Jenny met the second son of King Aegon the Conqueror. The children under her care called him the Silver Prince and so did the people of King's Landing.</p><p> </p><p>The thundering of hooves broke her out of her musings of the past. She could see two horses in the distance and immediately knew who that was. The white horse alone let her know that it was Prince Rhaegar and the other figure was most likely the trusted companion of the young prince, Ser Baelium Brune.</p><p> </p><p>It has been three years since her chance meeting with Prince Rhaegar in the Street of Silk. Ever since that day the Prince would send gold, food and clothes to the orphanage. The young prince was barely ten when they met and yet showed so much kindness for a street urchin like her. It was his generous contributions alone that saw to the orphanage’s speedy construction. The young prince would even visit the orphanage from time to time bringing many gifts and toys for the children. She prayed regulatory to the Seven to watch over Prince Rhaegar for he was an adventurous sort.</p><p> </p><p>While Prince Rhaegar was known for his kindness his adventurous streak was something of a legend. At the mere age of five, the young Prince managed to ride Balerion the Black Dread. To this day she and many others had no idea how the young prince accomplished that especially when he has his own dragon, Starfyre. As punishment, King Aegon confined Prince Rhaegar to his rooms but the playful prince escaped the room to the ire of many. The Prince escaped the guards by hiding himself on the roof of Aegonfort and doused his father with a bucket full of water when he was holding court sitting upon the Iron Throne. It was alleged that the Prince shouted he did it to douse the flames of temper from his father to the whole court. Whatever the case the Prince failed to ‘douse the flames of temper' of the King. At the same time, the King failed to douse the adventurism of Prince Rhaegar.</p><p> </p><p>Prince Rheagar was adventurous, funny, intelligent and kind yet strong. Good qualities for a good king but sadly he was the second son. The firstborn was Aenys Targaryen who was frankly sick for most of his life. It was only now the crown prince regained some health. The crown prince was the exact opposite of Prince Rhaegar. Prince Aenys preferred to stay in the castle with his books for company. Although, it was owed to the bad health of Prince Aenys.</p><p> </p><p>The silver-white horse trotted to a pause and Jenny greeted Prince Rhaegar with a bow and a warm smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Welcome back my Prince.”</p><p> </p><p>She was awarded a warm smile from the prince. The prince maybe ten and three namesdays old but he was very handsome. According to rumours, many ladies of court fawned over the Silver Prince for his affections. Many maidens and even married women have tried in vain to draw the attention of the Prince to no avail. The Prince was courteous but he never showed interest in any woman save Alyssa Velaryon who he was friendly.</p><p> </p><p>“Its good to be back. How have you been Septa Jenny?” asked the Prince</p><p> </p><p>“I have been well my Prince. I hope you will join us for breaking our fast. You as well Ser Brune.” She gave the sworn shield of Prince Rhaegar a pointed look.</p><p> </p><p>“Where the Prince goes I go.” said Ser Baelium with a shrug.</p><p> </p><p>“Yet I did not have you with me when I swam across the Blackwater Bay.” said the Prince.</p><p> </p><p>“I will have you know that I was wearing armour. If I jumped I would have drowned and what good I would be to you if I am dead.”</p><p> </p><p>“I would find another Knight but I would surely miss your company Ser Baleium. Although, I wonder why you threw some poor tanner into the stream?”</p><p> </p><p>“To save you of course.” said Ser Baelium indignantly.</p><p> </p><p>“And did he?” asked the Prince with a drawl that made Jenny giggle.</p><p> </p><p>“How was I to know that the tanner knows not to swim?”</p><p> </p><p>“You ought to have asked before you threw the poor man into the Blackwater. I had to save that man from drowning in the river.” said the Prince with an amused glint in his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Either way you returned back from the Blackwater which I consider to be a success on my part.”</p><p> </p><p>“Only you Ser…only you…” the Prince shook with laughter as he stepped into the orphanage.</p><p> </p><p>Jenny smiled as the children happily surrounded Prince Rhaegar asking for new stories to be told. She had to admit the Prince was a treasure trove of funny and adventurous stories that captured the attention of a large audience. Her favourite was the story of a race between a rabbit and a tortoise. There was a useful lesson to be learned from that story. The spirit of the story was hard work always triumphed inborn skill which she wholeheartedly agrees.</p><p> </p><p>“Today I will regale you with the story of Princess Alice who finds herself in another world—a world not of her own but filled with wondrous beings….” The Prince began to tell the story and Jenny sighed. Sometimes she wondered where the Prince gets his boundless energy from. Prince Rhaegar had barely stepped inside the orphanage and already he was in his element.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Aenys Targaryen relaxed into his bed as his brother massaged his legs. He smiled despite the pain he felt at the touch of his twin. Together they had come to this world but he was thankful to the gods not to curse his twin with the same sickness that he suffered from. Without his brother's steady influence he doubted he would have lived this far.</p><p> </p><p>Aenys was three names days old when his mother died. When he learned of his mother's death he had fallen ill and it was his brother that nursed him back to health. His twin would stay day and night by his side. Rhaegar would entertain him with tales of faraway lands. It was Rhaegar that sparked his interests in books and songs.</p><p> </p><p>Today was no different as he enjoyed the tender care provided by his brother.</p><p> </p><p>Rhaegar would not allow servants to take care of him claiming that he deserved special attention. He admitted to himself when his brother stayed by his side he would feel half his discomforts disappear.</p><p> </p><p>“You ought to prepare for your journey to the Reach brother. Don’t bother wasting your time with me when servants can easily look after me.” said Aenys</p><p> </p><p>“The royal procession can wait. You are more important.”</p><p> </p><p>“You will attract the ire of our father.” cautioned Aenys</p><p> </p><p>“He may show his ire but father understands us better. Westerosi politics can wait for a few days because my brother needs my expert services.” said Rhaegar</p><p> </p><p>“As father often love to say, the bond between the brothers will protect our kingdom.” Parroted Aenys with a chuckle which turned into a series of coughs.</p><p> </p><p>“He is right you know. Family is all that matters sweet brother of mine.” said Rhaegar as he began to press a piece of cloth dipped in hot water on Aenys' oil-covered legs.</p><p> </p><p>“If that’s the case we are short of one member.” said Aenys and he noticed a peculiar look cross his brother's face. He had noticed that whenever he brought up the matter of their younger brother Maegor, Rhaegar would immediately evade or outright change the subject.</p><p> </p><p>Aenys knew his brother held some form of animosity against Maegor. But for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why. Both of them had seen Maegor less than six times in thirteen long years and all those times he never found any problems with his younger brother. Maegor tends to be a little snobby sometimes but outside that his younger brother was a likeable person. Even his betrothed Alyssa Velaryon dislike Maegor for some reason.</p><p> </p><p>The door to his chambers opened and Alyssa walked in gracefully. Aenys smiled at his betrothed amicably while his brother gave him a wink. His future marriage to Alyssa was supposed to be a secret but his brother's constant teasing had exposed that tidbit of information. His father was not amused at that stunt as he was still in the process of negotiating the matter.</p><p> </p><p>With the rumours abound regarding his match with Alyssa father was forced to announce the betrothal far sooner than he was comfortable. Later Aenys thanked Rhaegar as he was free from all the attention of many daughters of the lords. Looking back on it that was probably why his brother publicised his betrothal with Alyssa.</p><p> </p><p>“I see you have things well in hand Rhaegar. It seems I am unneeded if my betrothed enjoy your company more than mine.” said Alyssa</p><p> </p><p>“How cruel of you to say that my dear Alyssa. I worked my best to keep him safe and that’s how you thank me “</p><p> </p><p>“How about you let me take care of my betrothed and you go on your tour of the Reach. King Aegon has been asking for you.” said Alyssa as she took a seat beside his bed and took over massaging his leg from his brother. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the soft hands of his betrothed on his legs.</p><p> </p><p>“To be betrayed by my dear twin! I should have known this would happen. You have corrupted my innocent brother with your strange wicked wiles. Shall I bring Septon Murmison to save my brother's soul from the clutches of dear Alyssa.” said Rhaegar dramatically.</p><p> </p><p>“If you don’t get out of this room I will set your precious hair on fire.” threatened Alyssa. Aenys had never seen his brother move so fast. In a blink of his eyes, Rhaegar was out of his room leaving him alone with Alyssa. He looked at her in surprise.</p><p> </p><p>“Your twin is many things but the one thing he fears the most is about your health and his hair.” said Alyssa as a way of explanation.</p><p> </p><p>“How did you know that?” Aenys asked in surprise as he was of the thought that only he knew of his brother's obsession with his long silver hair.</p><p> </p><p>“A woman must have her secrets, my prince.” said Alyssa with a playful wink.</p><p> </p><p>“Now, which leg ails you?”</p><p> </p><p>The answer would be his right leg but since dear Alyssa was volunteering he decided to lie. He didn’t like lying but as his dear twin often liked to say, sometimes a lie is better than a hundred truths. The fact that he enjoyed Alyssa's work on both of his legs was a testament to the validity of that statement. He ought to listen to more of his brother's advice, he thought silently.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. CH2: At the edge of the Mander</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“This is boring.” complained Rhaegar</p><p> </p><p>“Have a care Prince Rhaegar. It almost felt like whining.” said Ser Baelium with an amused tilt to his face.</p><p> </p><p>Rhaegar gave his sworn shield a withering look.</p><p> </p><p>“No longer able to make a run for it now can you Prince Rhaegar?” asked Ser Addison Hill of the Kingsguard with amusement.</p><p> </p><p>“If it wasn’t for father know that I would have left you all in the dust.” said Rhaegar with a huff.</p><p> </p><p>“Unfortunately you will not be flying on poor Starfyre. I think even the dragon has enough of your stunts my prince.” said Corlys Velaryon the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard as he pulled his horse close to the Prince's own horse.</p><p> </p><p>“I am not talking to you Ser Corlys. You're the one that tattled me to my father. I thought you to be a good man but it seems Alyssa was right. You cannot be trusted.” said Rhaegar</p><p> </p><p>“I will have you know half the realm saw you flying upside down on your dragon Prince Rhaegar. I was hardly responsible if your father saw what you were doing.” said Corlys</p><p> </p><p>“But you were the one that told the King first.” said Ser Addison</p><p> </p><p>“Aha! I knew it. You Ser are not a true knight. A true knight would not have betrayed the trust of a prince.” said Rhaegar</p><p> </p><p>“You only have yourself to blame my Prince. You angered the king with your stunts when he explicitly forbids your usual activities during this journey. And I would like to remind you that I am sworn to serve the King. You cannot expect me to lie to the king.” said Ser Corlys</p><p> </p><p>“You are no longer my favourite Kingsguard.” said Rhaegar with a glare at the Lord Commander. He immediately ducked his head as the Black Dread made a dive. His horse became spooked and threw him down from its back. The Kingsguard knights and his own sworn shield were conveniently keeping a distance when that happened.</p><p> </p><p>“This is no fun. You have no sense of what is fun at all father.” Rhaegar screamed at the top of his lungs after he managed to stand up dusting off the soot from his clothes. Then he turned on the Lord Commander. “You are responsible for this Ser Corlys.”</p><p> </p><p>“How am I responsible if your father decided to give you some lessons in humility.” said Ser Corlys with a shrug but one could see that the Lord Commander was very amused by the way his eyes sparkled.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know how or when but I will pay you back Ser Corlys. Mark my words.” Threatened Rhaegar before riding off with a huff. The Kingsguard and his sworn shield were quick to keep up lest the Prince rides away far from the royal convoy.</p><p> </p><p>It took the royal procession three days to see the edge of Mander. Seeing the Mander let Rhaegar know that they have crossed into the borders of the Reach. The lack of roads was a problem and it made the journey difficult. He wanted to take Starfyre and go on his merry way but after his latest stunt on the dragon, his father had grounded him so to speak. He rode ahead of the convoy towards the Mander with Ser Baelium as his company.</p><p> </p><p>Rhaegar dismounted his horse and led it towards the river. The horse happily drank the water and he rubbed the white mane of his horse affectionately.</p><p> </p><p>“Drink up boy. We do have a lot of ground to cover before you can properly rest in a stable.”</p><p> </p><p>A large shadow enveloped the spot he was standing on and he had to rein in his horse who was neighing in fear. The reason for his horse's discomfort landed on the ground with a thud kicking up dirt.</p><p> </p><p>“Mother above!” Ser Baelium cried as he too struggled to hold onto his troubled horse.</p><p> </p><p>Rhaegar just laughed as he gave the reins of his horse to a servant. He walked towards his dragon who blew a puff of smoke to his face. Just like him, his dragons loved to mess with others something he suspected Starfyre learned from him.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t you dare do that you overgrown lizard.” Rhaegar warned and Starfyre merely let out a screech before swinging his tail through the water. He could hear Ser Baelium's laughter as he was drenched from head to toe in water from the Mander.</p><p> </p><p>“You taught your dragon well my prince. I have to say this is fun and I see why you enjoy playing pranks on others so much.” crowed Ser Baelium before breaking down into further laughter despite the scowl on Rhaegar's face.</p><p> </p><p>Rhaegar glared at Starfyre who preened and looked at him smugly. He could feel the waves of emotions from his draconic friend in the back of his mind. Starfyre was hatched in his crib when he was a baby. In many ways they were brothers and he had learned that he shared an empathetic bond with Starfyre. He could not remain mad at his childhood companion for long. There was a time when he feared the blue scaled dragon but over time he grew out of that fear. Nobody could blame him because one moment he was watching TV and the next he was a freaking baby.</p><p> </p><p>At first, he thought that there was some drug in his food to make a powerful hallucination like the one he experienced. But as days and months went by he came to the conclusion that he somehow reincarnated but that was bull because he had no memory of dying. Frankly, he was very wroth to be displaced from his world. He was about to celebrate Christmas with his family and he was planning to spend some quality time with his parents. Early on he realised that there was no point on bitching about his situation so he decided to make the most of his new life by rolling with the punches. There were a million things he could complain about with his situation but that would be totally unlike himself. So he decided to focus on the good parts namely his cool draconic friend Starfyre.</p><p> </p><p>Just seeing a dragon up-close was a dream come true. To ride it and concoct acrobatic stunts with the dragon was downright exhilarating. His greatest accomplishment was to hijack Balerion and he did it with begging on his knees before the mighty dragon. Dragons were intelligent creatures who read others through empathy. Balerion was hoodwinked by his desperate pleas and that's how he managed to ride the greatest of Targaryen dragons. Although, that did land him in a heap of trouble.</p><p> </p><p>“My Prince, we are setting camp and your father is asking for you.” said Robin Darklyn another member of his father's Kingsguard. The knight was widely known as Darkrobin and was a skilled knight.</p><p> </p><p>Rhaegar was wary of this knight because Ser Robin was chosen by Visenya. Not that there was anything wrong with it as the knight was loyal to his father. It’s just that he had this habit of treating anyone that was remotely close to Visenya Targaryen with suspicion. It was something of an inborn trait as his younger years growing up was ripe with rumours of his mother's infidelity. The lords, ladies and servants thought he could not understand what they were whispering but he understood. Since then he had a healthy dose of paranoia regarding Visenya Targaryen and anyone that she was friendly with.</p><p> </p><p>“You shouldn’t let the King waiting, my prince.” said Ser Baelium as he gave a small nudge.</p><p> </p><p>A while later he was standing before his father inside a hastily erected tent. Even after all these years, he found it hard not to be intimidated by the sheer presence of his father.</p><p> </p><p>King Aegon the Conqueror or Aegon the Dragon as he was called was a man built for battle. Square jaw, wide chest, strong muscled hands all contributed to the image but his true strength lay in the king's gaze. The King had dark purple eyes and anyone that stared into those eyes would claim that it was beautiful but in the privacy of their minds they would call them intimidating.</p><p> </p><p>Rhaegar had found it early on that it was very hard to lie straight to his father's face. This was why he preferred to deal with his father from a distance. He had it on good authority that his father knew this weakness and would use it to his advantage at certain times.</p><p> </p><p>“Come take a seat. I would not have you stand there looking like a thief that was caught red-handed.” said Aegon as he pointed to a chair opposite to the table his father was sitting at.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, father. Now that we are here can you please return the riding harness that you took from Starfyre?” Rhaegar inquired hoping against hope as he flashed a puppy eye look.</p><p> </p><p>Aegon let out a scoff and a brief smile flashed on his face that would have skipped Rhaegar's attention if he was not looking close enough.</p><p>“You will not be flying that dragon until I think you learned the lesson.”</p><p> </p><p>“What lesson would that be?” Rhaegar asked</p><p> </p><p>“The lesson being some responsibility and acting with caution. Dragons are empathetic creatures. Once a bond is formed some of your own character will bleed into the dragon especially when Starfyre was hatched in your crib. That dragon is already a troublemaker and as it grows it will refuse any riders and become wild.”</p><p> </p><p>“I did not know that.” said Rhaegar but he received an unimpressed stare.</p><p> </p><p>“You are a terrible liar son. I know you have taken lessons from Visenya about the dragons and there is no one more knowledgeable than her in that area.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fine, I knew. It is just difficult not to test the limits you know. To fly in the sky—it’s like nothing in the world can stop you. It’s just pure freedom.” said Rhaegar</p><p> </p><p>“You remind me of your mother. So passionate and driven to ride Meraxes whenever possible.” A tired sigh left Aegon. “I will return the harness provided that you will not pull any more stunts on Starfyre. You must promise me this.”</p><p> </p><p>“I promise not to pull any stunts with Starfyre father. You have my word.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good. Now, I asked you here for something important. You understand why we are here in the Reach, don’t you?” asked Aegon as he leaned forward and unveiled a map on the table.</p><p> </p><p>Rhaegar took a glance at the map and identified it as a map of the Reach.</p><p> </p><p>“You want to meet the lords that are under your rule.” said Rhaegar</p><p> </p><p>“Yes but….”</p><p> </p><p>“You also want to survey their lands because you are reforming the tax system and build an alliance of some sort.”</p><p> </p><p>“Correct. So you do listen to the conversations we have about the realm.” said Aegon with an approving nod. “Now, we are at the edge of the Mander. Which castle is the closest to our position?”</p><p> </p><p>“Tumbleton.” He answered quickly</p><p> </p><p>“Good. House and banner?”</p><p> </p><p>“Tumbleton is ruled by House Footly. White caltrops in a black field is their banner.”</p><p> </p><p>“Correct. House Footly can trace their lineage all the way to the Age of Heroes. We don’t know whether Valyrians even inhabited the peninsula that far back and yet house Targaryen rules over all the ancient houses of Westeros. Why?”</p><p> </p><p>“Power. We have power and they don’t.” answered Rhaegar for which he was graced with a smile from his father.</p><p> </p><p>“True. But power is fickle. Our dragons ensure dominance over Westeros through force but that is not enough. To truly rule all these houses we need allies and their wealth. Reach is the most productive kingdom of Westeros. It has bountiful harvests and in Winter food has more value than anything else. We need the Reach as an ally.”</p><p> </p><p>“And Theo Tyrell cannot deliver us the Reach?” Rhaegar asked curiously</p><p> </p><p>“The Tyrells are servants that got elevated because of me. They depend on me to consolidate their hold on the Reach. A united Reach will always be a threat to the rule of Dragons. The Reach must never unite for it houses the Citadel and the Faith of Seven.”</p><p> </p><p>“You want to break up the Reach?” Rhaegar asked incredulously.</p><p> </p><p>“Eventually and I doubt I can accomplish that in my lifetime. Perhaps it may not be possible but I will ensure the Reach will not follow one house ever again.”</p><p> </p><p>“So you want to build an alliance with some house to counter one of the powerful houses. Force the factions vying for Highgarden into a stalemate or even escalate.” Rhaegar deduced</p><p> </p><p>“I prefer a stalemate as it will let me break one of the factions and force them to approach our house for an alliance. The Tyrells are just the bait I set for the different factions in the Reach to concentrate on.” said Aegon</p><p> </p><p>“Why didn’t you just expand the territories of Crownlands at the expense of the Reach? You could have done that and defanged the Reach after the Field of Fire.”</p><p> </p><p>“The Crownlands are made up of lands from Stormlands, Reach and Riverlands. But you are right, I should have expanded the Crownlands. I made a mistake at that time.”</p><p> </p><p>The tent descended into an uneasy silence.</p><p> </p><p>“So what should I do?” Rhaegar asked</p><p> </p><p>“Learn about the lands of the Reach lords. I want you with the surveyors and interact with the people. Make friends wherever we go and dazzle the people with your charm.” said Aegon</p><p> </p><p>“You want me to marry from one of the Reach’s noble houses, don’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>“In time.” Aegon admitted before he hastily added, “And I will ask your opinion before I make any decisions. You have my word.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you for that.” Rhaegar bit out not the least bit happy about it but at the same time relieved nothing was finalised. “May I take my leave?”</p><p> </p><p>At his father's nod Rhaegar stood up to leave but a question from his father made him pause at the exit of the tent.</p><p> </p><p>“I forgot to ask. Why are you wet?”</p><p> </p><p>It was with a certain level of embarrassment that he had to explain that he fell victim to a prank of his dragon. He certainly didn't like the suppressed laughter of his father from the tent when he left.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. CH3: Tumbleton</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The lands belonging to house Footly was indeed bountiful with livestock and farmlands, Rhaegar mused as he rode alongside the convoy upon his horse. He could see the smallfolk working in the fields stretching across the plain lands. Something that he noticed once leaving behind the Crownlands was that there were far fewer hills in the Reach. It made for ease of travelling by land but at the same time, this left the land easy to move an army.</p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately, the lack of proper roads would slow down any carts. The land was always muddy with regular rains which most certainly extended travel time. Nonetheless, the journey was quite enjoyable so far. Unlike the Crownlands the Reach was filled with people. Tumbleton was only five leagues from King's Landing yet he saw at least five or six villages in his travel so far. These villages were not some shoddy shacks but well-developed settlements protected by landed or hedge knights.</p><p> </p><p>Up ahead Rhaegar could see the castle of Tumbleton. The castle overlooked a sizeable town outside its walls and he could see a lot of people gathered in the town even from a distance. An honour guard from House Footly was already escorting the royal procession with caltrop banners flapping in the wind. The men of House Footly had their shields painted reflecting the banner of their lord.</p><p> </p><p>Rhaegar himself was in the colours of his house. He wore a black doublet with red trimmings along with black boots and a red clock on his shoulders. The clock was fastened on his shoulders with a pin of a silver three-headed dragon. His silver hair was neatly pulled back behind his ear and because of its length, it was irritating him quite a bit. Usually, he would have tied it in a ponytail but his father had ordered the servants to make him princely.</p><p> </p><p>Being the prince that he was he had the honour of leading the convoy beside Ser Corlys Velaryon. Behind them were Ser Addison Hill and Ser Robin Darklyn flanking my father. Ser Baelium was riding alongside a hedge knight who carried the Targaryen banner just a few paces behind him.</p><p> </p><p>As the procession rode through the town Rhaegar took note the people were—well not expressive, he settled. He guessed they were just as confused on how to deal with the situation. A few decades ago these people knew their kings to be Gardners of Highgarden. Now a Tyrell rules from Highgarden while sworn to a king that has his throne outside their homeland. At the very least the people were not hostile but there were wary glances thrown his way. He was certain a lot more of those glances would be reserved for his father as well.</p><p> </p><p>Then a powerful screech blared across the sky. The people searched for the cause and Rhaegar could see a few promptly fainting at what they saw. He had no need to look up to know the cause because the gigantic shadow that enveloped the town was proof enough. But the urge was there in the back of his mind and that urge won out. He turned and looked up balancing himself on his horse. Sure enough Balerion the Black Dread was up in the sky with its gigantic wings spread as wide as possible.</p><p> </p><p>Looking from down below he felt like an ant under the magnificence of his father's mount. The dragon was pitch black and anyone that gazed upon its gigantic form would have fear in their hearts. Looking back he wondered just how the hell he managed to ride Balerion.</p><p> </p><p>Another screech filled the air and Starfyre emerged from the clouds. The blue-silver dragon provided a much more elegant contour to the dragon-kind. While intimidating Starfyre projected an unholy beauty. It was like comparing a car from the 50s to a car after the 80s. Starfyre was sleek and was made for speed rather than raw strength. The two dragons sped past the town and circled the seat of House Footly.</p><p> </p><p>"The people inside the castle must be in awe and fear of the dragons flying over their heads. The Field of Fire is still memorable to the Reach." said Ser Corlys</p><p> </p><p>That brought a smile to Rhaegar's face as he sat up with his head held high on his horse. "That's good Ser Corlys. It is good that they remember. Let's hope that memory serves them good for ages to come."</p><p> </p><p>The convoy paused once inside the walls of the castle. Rhaegar noticed the members of House Footly by the way they were dressed. All of the males were dressed in black with a white Caltrop stitched above their right breast. The women were dressed in differing colours of gowns. Rhaegar dismounted his horse and stood to the right of his father who moved to greet Lord Willam Footly.</p><p> </p><p>"Tumbleton is yours, your grace." Lord Willam knelt followed by his entire house.</p><p> </p><p>"Rise my lord." said his father while motioning subtlety at him with his hand.</p><p> </p><p>"The Seven have blessed you with a beautiful home and family Lord Footly." said Rhaegar keeping his eyes steady on the Lord of Tumbleton. The man was definitely older than father with a lot of grey hair but fit like a warrior in his prime.</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you, my prince. May the light of the Seven bless you as well." said Lord Willam and then the Lord of Tumbleton began to introduce the rest of his family.</p><p> </p><p>Lady Alyssa formerly of House Tarly was the wife of Lord Willam. She was also the sister of Lord Rickon Tarly who was the current lord of Horn Hill. The lady was polite but distant. Most likely she did not look forward to housing the same people that killed her father in the Field of Fire.</p><p> </p><p>Then came the children of Lord Willam. The eldest son and heir was Melvin Footly who was a portly man and had a wife and a daughter of his own. Rhaegar also became acquainted with the younger sibling Jon Footly followed by a number of cousins and nieces of Lord Footly.</p><p> </p><p>By the time Rhaegar acquainted with the many Footlys of Tumbleton Lord Willam had bread and salt brought. And just like that, they were given guest rights and entry into the castle.</p><p> </p><p>Dinner was grand and house Footly didn't disappoint one bit. The noble houses of the Reach were famous for their extravagant feasts with harvests aplenty. The same could be said of those in the Westerlands but Rhaegar was sure in feasts no one could beat the Reachmen. His belly was filled to the brim with roasted mutton and chicken, bread, milk, pigeon pie, boiled eggs and the steak and kidney pudding which was his favourite. Of course, Westeros never had that pudding until he invented it in the kitchens of Aegonfort. If nothing else Rhaegar was sure his name will be famous for discovering this dish. Although, he was surprised that his dish became popular in the Reach. He was also interested to learn just how that happened. He could speculate but he would be looking into the cooks of Aegonfort once he returned back home.</p><p> </p><p>He spent the better part of the night reading a book on the travels of Maester Tonnel. The man had a strange fixation on the Reach as half the book was about the lands held by the Reach lords and the innumerable septs in the former kingdom of Gardners. While a boring read the book certainly highlighted the geography of the Reach in great detail. It also emphasised on the differing natures of people in the Reach especially those in the Dornish Marches. Nonetheless, he fell asleep after an hour in his room that was assigned for his stay. When he woke up it was early morning and the sun was a placid red in the sky.</p><p> </p><p>The plan was to stay at Tumbleton for two days before they continued their journey further west. In two days his father wanted the survey of the land to be done which was easier said than done. There were servants of the crown to do that but his father wanted him to be involved in the process. He had to say that his father was a smart man that valued soft power. On hindsight, it should have been obvious to many but the fearsome reputation of his father garnered from the wars of conquest suppressed the image of a brilliant statesman.</p><p> </p><p>Anyhow, Rhaegar managed to sneak out of the castle early morning on a horse, his identity shielded under a black robe. Of course, he was not foolish enough to go on a ride around unfamiliar lands without protection.</p><p> </p><p>"I think this is a bad idea, my prince. If your father finds out we will be in serious peril." warned Ser Baelium who was similarly covering himself under a black robe.</p><p> </p><p>The two of us were riding our horses through the vast lands of House Footly. To maintain the secrecy they had to abandon their shields and armour. Instead, they both wore chainmail under the robe and leather doublet. They had their swords by their side of course as it would be foolish to ride around without a weapon.</p><p> </p><p>"Relax my dear knight. My father won't even notice we were gone. We will be back in a jiffy." said Rhaegar as they sped through the land taking in the sights.</p><p> </p><p>The lords of Westeros had the luxury to sleep at this hour but the smallfolk worked the fields early in the morning. With summer still in full swing, the smallfolk were busy working in the fields or doing business to put food in their bellies. The Citadel had warned the summer may only last for two or three months which had lit a fire in every holdfast across the land.</p><p> </p><p>While they had no specific destination in mind Rhaegar made his way towards the banks of the Mander. The lands of house Footly would end there and he was curious to see the fishing villages of the Reach. For a time they rode in silence taking in the differing sights across the land. Maple and Pine trees were most commonly seen in their travels. Rhaegar even noted a modest Cherry farm in their journey.</p><p> </p><p>"Up ahead my prince. I can see the village." Ser Baelium pointed.</p><p> </p><p>Sure enough, Rhaegar could make out some modest wooden structures. He urged his horse towards the village but he was sad to find that it was scarcely populated. He had expected the village to house more people but this one was barely inhabited.</p><p> </p><p>"All the villages we saw till now were well populated. Why is this one abandoned?" he asked out loud.</p><p> </p><p>"Maybe the village suffers from bandits my prince." suggested Ser Baelium</p><p> </p><p>"Maybe." Rhaegar hummed noncommittally as he took in the state of the village.</p><p> </p><p>"We should return my prince. If this area is threatened by bandits we do not have the numbers to properly defend."</p><p> </p><p>"We are close to the village Ser. Why not just spend some time here and find out why it is abandoned?"</p><p> </p><p>"We can do so with more men some other time, my prince. For now, it is better to retreat." Ser Baelium insisted.</p><p> </p><p>Rhaegar hesitated but he caved in when faced with a stern stare from his sworn shield. He would have insisted on visiting the village if he had Starfyre with him. Unfortunately, his draconic friend was taking a nap and he had better sense not to disturb a sleeping dragon. Dragons were hostile if their sleep cycles were disturbed. It won't matter whether it was the rider that disturbed their sleep. The dragons would roast anyone that disturbed their sleep. Plus he had also found out that he was not flame resistant much to his chagrin.</p><p> </p><p>The ride back to the castle was quite uneventful but he did occasionally made a stop in some of the villages scattered across the land. From these villagers, he managed to learn of a bandit group widely known as the Strangers. According to the smallfolk, the bandit leader was a former Septon that went mad worshipping the Stranger. The Black Septon as he was known would raid a village and sacrifice those he judged unworthy of life to the Stranger. As a token of his purge, he would leave a black seven-pointed star in the village he would strike. The Black Septon was dispassionate in his crimes. He would kill women, children and men. He cared not for titles as a lot of septons and septas were also victims of this Black Septon.</p><p> </p><p>"This Black Septon and his band of fellow outlaws seems to be a work of art. I can't believe this group is in the Reach." said Ser Baelium as they continued their journey back to the castle.</p><p> </p><p>"You know of them?" Rhaegar asked in surprise.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, my prince. This Black Septon was an outlaw in the Crownlands but that was before his grace launched his Conquest."</p><p> </p><p>"I see. What do you know of this Black Septon?" asked Rhaegar in interest.</p><p> </p><p>"If rumours are to be believed the Black Septon was a Septon or a poor fellow that was in love with a local woman. In an Ironborn attack, this woman was raped and murdered. From then on this Black Septon went on a crusade to gather followers of Seven to attack Black Harren. As you can guess it didn't work well for him or his cohorts."</p><p> </p><p>"If that's the case why is the Black Septon here in the Reach? For that matter why is he attacking villages?" asked Rhaegar</p><p> </p><p>"That is what worries me, my prince. The Black Septon was supposed to be fighting against heathens and the tyranny of Harren Hoare. By all accounts, the Black Septon should be old enough to not even walk properly much less lead a raid."</p><p> </p><p>"So you believe we have an imposter?" asked Rhaegar</p><p> </p><p>"Most likely yes." Ser Baelium nodded</p><p> </p><p>"Then this bandit group has to be stopped." said Rhaegar before throwing a curious look to his sworn shield. "What do you say about a hunt for these Strangers and the Black Septon?"</p><p> </p><p>That gave pause to Baeluim and stared incredulously at the prince he was sworn to protect.</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"What do you mean?" asked Aegon staring hard at his son as if his son had taken leave of his senses.</p><p> </p><p>"I wish to organize a hunt for this bandit group that call themselves the Strangers. They have been terrorising the smallfolk and I mean to put an end to the chaos they unleash upon the land." said Rhaegar not flinching or backing down even as he took the full brunt of his father's stare.</p><p> </p><p>"My prince I will have some of my finest knights to hunt for these miscreants and trust me these bandits will be captured and punished." Assured Lord Willam</p><p> </p><p>"How many times have you sent your knights to finish these bandits out Lord Footly?" asked Rhaegar</p><p> </p><p>"Answer my lord." Aegon said noting the reluctance on Lord Willam's face.</p><p> </p><p>"Three times." Lord Footly admitted reluctantly.</p><p> </p><p>"How many bandits have your knights captured or killed?" asked Rhaegar to the lord of Tumbleton.</p><p> </p><p>"Few my prince." said Lord Footly</p><p> </p><p>"The real Black Septon was someone who fought against the tyranny of Harren Hoare and his Ironborn reavers. This new Black Septon is a fake and most likely a Crownlander."</p><p> </p><p>"How do you know he is a Crownlander?" asked Ser Corlys from Aegon's side.</p><p> </p><p>"The story of Black Septon is indigenous to Riverlands and Crownlands. Hardly anyone here knew of the true story behind the Black Septon. This leads me to believe that this outlaw is a Crownlander and most likely well experienced in warfare. He must have fought in my father's army in the Conquest."</p><p> </p><p>"How do you gather he fought in my army?" asked Aegon curiously</p><p> </p><p>"The Smallfolk says the Black Septon wears a steel armour painted black and a helmet painted red. The Targaryen army in the Conquest had red helmets." said Rhaegar</p><p> </p><p>"This Black Septon could have taken the helmet from a dead soldier." said Ser Corlys</p><p> </p><p>"True but how did he know to emulate a legendary figure of a remote place of Crownlands? He left no witnesses that saw his face to give us a description nor did he leave any clues of his next attack. He has expertly evaded well-trained knights of House Footly and he concentrates his activities on the border of Crownlands and Reach. This means that he is an experienced fighter who has experience in leading men to battle and he is a local of Crownlands." explained Rhaegar in one breath plunging the room into silence.</p><p> </p><p>"What do you wish to do about this Black Septon?" Aegon asked eventually.</p><p> </p><p>"Find where he is going to strike next and end his life along with his bandit group." said Rhaegar</p><p> </p><p>"My prince you are barely ten and three namesdays old. You can't expect us to allow you to seek out this bandit." Ser Corlys protested.</p><p> </p><p>"You were the one who taught me that a knight's sword should be raised to protect the innocent and weak. If I can't even protect a village then how can I be of any service to my king or my brother?"</p><p> </p><p>"You are not a knight yet. Leave this matter to knights who are trained to handle such tasks." said Ser Corlys</p><p> </p><p>"You were also the one that taught me that a few words spoken in ceremony do not make a true knight. Noble actions make one a true knight, you said. I mean to be a true knight through my actions and let the gods judge me whether they are noble or not." said Rhaegar not backing down from the renewed staring contest with his father.</p><p> </p><p>Aegon let out a sigh and leaned back in his seat.</p><p> </p><p>"You will have seven days to hunt this outlaw after that you will return to my side and leave this matter entirely."</p><p> </p><p>Aegon's proclamation was met with a smile from Rhaegar and a scandalous look from Ser Corlys.</p><p> </p><p>"Your grace I must protest. The prince is a good jouster and swings his sword well but he is not ready to go on a hunt for a bandit." said Ser Corlys earning himself some surprised stares from the assembled knights, lords and members of house Footly.</p><p> </p><p>It was not well known but Ser Corlys was distantly related to Aegon through the king's late mother. Not to mention the Lord Commander was also the son Daemon Velaryon the Master of Ships, one of the closest friends of the King. It gave certain privileges to the Lord Commander.</p><p> </p><p>"Your protest is noted and that is why Rhaegar will be under the protection of Ser Addison Hill and Ser Baelium Brune." said Aegon giving an impeccable stare directed at Ser Corlys. "He will also take some of the knights in my service. I am of course sure that Lord Willam will also support this venture with his men."</p><p> </p><p>Aegon looked imploringly at Lord Willam who nodded quickly in agreement.</p><p> </p><p>"Good. Now, where do you propose your search will be for this Black Septon?" asked Aegon once again turning his attention to his son.</p><p> </p><p>"I won't be searching, I will just be waiting."</p><p> </p><p>Rhaegar's answer only brought confusion to everyone present. While everyone speculated what that meant Rhaegar merely gave a playful smile at his father.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Ch4: The sworn shield</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Baelium was given the honour of serving as the sworn shield of Prince Rhaegar he was ecstatic. He had snatched the honour by claiming victory in a melee in King's Landing. King Aegon himself had overseen the melee and gifted him with a new shield, sword and armour charging him to protect the seven namesdays old prince. It was the proudest moment of his life and he brought great honour to his house.</p><p>He was the third son of Jonathan Brune who ruled over house Brune. When his father's time would come to meet the Seven his brother Edwyne would inherit the lordship of their house. For a third son with less than ideal prospects being a sworn shield to the prince of Westeros was a step up in the social hierarchy.</p><p>His house heavily profited from his close position within the royal family. His brother married from House Celtigar inserting Valyrian blood into their house. With Lord Celtigar serving as King Aegon's hand it was almost equal to marrying into the royal family itself. Not to mention the future favours House Targaryen was going to bestow upon House Brune. It was no secret that King Aegon heavily favoured Crownland lords that fought by his side in the Conquest. It was a foregone conclusion this status was going to continue throughout his reign.</p><p>With his own close friendship with Prince Rhaegar, this was bound to continue. There were strong rumours that the Crown Prince Aenys was weak in body. Having lived in Aegonfort for the last several years Baelium knew this to be true. The fact that the crown prince survived this long was a miracle in itself. Prince Aenys would fall terribly ill whenever winter comes knocking on the door.</p><p>Already, many are looking to Prince Rhaegar to be the next king. Baelium knew that his young friend hardly liked this rumour. Prince Rhaegar dearly loved his twin and never tolerated any insult on his less fortunate brother. That was something he learned early on when he swore oaths to defend and guard the young prince.</p><p>Whatever the case maybe he knew that Prince Rhaegar would make a good king or even a great king. The Prince was of sound body and mind. Even from a young age, the prince was studious in his letters, numbers and of the arms. He and Ser Addison Hill of the Kingsguard had trained the prince to use swords, bows and knives. The prince was skilled in knocking down knights in the lists under strict supervision of course. Can't have a prince of the realm die or injure himself in the training yard after all.</p><p>But what made Baelium truly loyal to Prince Rhaegar was that the Prince treated everyone equally. He was a knight sworn under the light of the seven. He was charged to help the helpless and protect the innocent and yet even he would have turned a blind eye to the plight of the smallfolk. But the prince would care for even the poorest pauper in King's Landing. He had seen it first-hand day after day when the prince would give his stipend away to the smallfolk.</p><p>There was many a weaver in the Street of Silk that owed their looms to the generosity of the Prince. Masons, carpenters, fishermen, smiths and many other traders managed to start their business under the prince's generosity. The orphanage that the prince helped construct was one of the latest success stories. A few years back that orphanage was just a pile of stone but now it housed many homeless orphans and it also served a meal to the smallfolk once a week.</p><p>Baelium considered himself blessed to be a small part of his prince's endeavours. Surely his somewhat meagre contributions would treat him well when he would greet the Seven in heaven. At least he hoped it would otherwise his contribution of ten gold dragons a week to the orphanage would have been a waste.</p><p>While he dearly loved and respected Prince Rhaegar he was exasperated with the adventurous nature of his charge. The prince could never sit idle unless he had a good read in his hands. It was as if the prince derived some sort of pleasure in barging into other's lives and giving them a shock. Other than that Prince Rhaegar loved to do dangerous stunts like swimming across a river like he often did with the Blackwater rush. This sort of behaviour did land him in trouble especially with Queen Visenya who tried her best to restrain the prince quite unsuccessfully.</p><p>Right now this hunt for the Black Septon was the latest in a long series of misadventures Prince Rhaegar was jumping into. It was his job to ensure nothing happened to the prince in this ill-thought journey. After relieving himself of his bladder under the cover of a tree Baelium returned back to the group. He eyed the prince who was chatting away excitedly with a summer islander bard whom the prince took a shine for in his travel. Elisher Mho was a bard that joined their group when they rode out from Tumbleton. The prince was impressed by the bard's skill with the flute and had hired Elisher to teach the prince to play the flute.</p><p>"By the looks of it, our prince seems to be horrible at playing the flute. I am developing a headache by listening to our prince's repeated attempts to become a bard." said Ser Addison Hill of the Kingsguard as the man stepped beside him.</p><p>"Oh, I believe the prince will learn the instrument eventually. Although, I do agree he is pretty horrible at playing the flute as it is now." said Baelium with a grimace as he listened to the butchered tune the prince was now playing.</p><p>"You have such enormous trust in Prince Rhaegar don't you Ser Brune?" asked Addison Hill which made him look at the bastard knight critically.</p><p>"Anyone who knows the prince well enough will say what I said Ser." He said with a frown.</p><p>"Of course. The Prince is a very talented boy for his age. There is no question of the prince's abilities." said Ser Addison.</p><p>"So you just question mine?"</p><p>"Your abilities? No. Your intentions, however…" Ser Addison let that hang.</p><p>"I don't understand." He looked at the knight indignantly.</p><p>"You are a skilled knight Ser Brune and as the third son to lord Brune, you would inherit nothing. Now, you have become a sworn shield for the second son of our king but you hold no designs for the open slot in the Kingsguard. That makes me wonder what you intend by staying as you are." said Ser Addison</p><p>"So you are wary of me because I chose not to swear the oaths of a Kingsguard?" Baelium asked incredulously.</p><p>"When you ask like that it paints me in an unfavourable light. I am just curious why you follow Prince Rhaegar like a shadow." said Ser Addison.</p><p>"The Prince is a good company to have and he is a good friend." said Baelium</p><p>"Those are good reasons…." said Ser Addison and smiled at him before scurrying off to the group.</p><p>Baelium let out a sigh he was holding. While he strictly didn't lie to the Kingsguard knight there remained one more reason for his choice to stay by Prince Rhaegar's side. There was no doubt that King Aegon was grooming Prince Rhaegar to rule the vast kingdom of Westeros.</p><p>Prince Aenys may have born first but the heir to the Iron Throne was weak. Prince Aenys rarely had the strength to even fly upon his dragon most of the time. While he knew that Prince Rhaegar would never seek to overthrow his twin rumour is that the Silver Prince would be crowned as the heir by King Aegon. He knew that Rhaegar would object and laws of succession would be breached but if King Aegon was the one to declare the heir then Rhaegar would have to take the throne. From his time in the royal court, Queen Visenya had suggested the same to King Aegon. While the Queen was subtle in her attempts to her schemes it was glaringly obvious to him and many in the court.</p><p>"Ser Baelium. Come join us." Called out the prince and he rushed to obey.</p><p>Whatever happens, he had chosen the side of Prince Rhaegar. For one he could at least say that he served someone who was kind and passionate but tempered by duty and honour. A knight could not ask for a better lord.</p><p>After a few hours of riding, they managed to arrive at the outskirts of a fishing village that was burnt down.</p><p>"The last village to be visited by the Strangers my prince." said Ser Ethan.</p><p>Baelium glanced at the knight and he was not impressed. The knight was a portly man who favoured his stomach more than his title and what it entailed. He wondered just how the smith managed to make an armour that the portly knight of Tumbleton was wearing.</p><p>"Shall we take a closer look then?" the Prince asked before galloping towards the village on his horse. Baelium was quick to follow and he took to the Prince's right. Ser Addison was there on the prince's left. With the two of them flanking the prince he doubted any harm could befall the prince.</p><p>Baelium noticed that Prince Rhaegar scrunched his nose.</p><p>"The stench of death my prince. A common occurrence in the battlefield." Commented Ser Addison from the prince's side.</p><p>"Perhaps you ought to stay back my prince. We can search the village for any sign of these Strangers." said Baelium knowing that the Prince disliked any kind of foul smell. In King's Landing, he had seen the Prince personally insisting on digging wells for the smallfolk. Most of the major streets of the capital city had bathhouses constructed under the prince's insistence. Even the orphanage had something called steam baths something that the prince had a personal hand in building.</p><p>"I would see and experience what these bandits did with my own eyes and senses Ser. I will do so because when I meet them I will remember to show no mercy." said the Prince and there he saw the hint of King Aegon in the prince. The cold and unyielding stare of the prince was something that he saw only once and that was when the prince saw a rapist being brought before the court. The eyes of the prince looked like it was on purple flames.</p><p>They moved further inwards and then they took in the grisly sight. At the centre of the village was a spear with a body nailed in the spear. Blood had dried on the sand beneath the body but they could make out the black seven-pointed star pinned on the body.</p><p>"Heresy! They would dare desecrate the Seven. Honourless curs. May they rot in seven hells." said a knight in their company and Baelium agreed wholeheartedly. Looking around the spear bodies were arranged neatly in circles. The women lacked clothes and the wounds that he could see on their body let him know that they suffered before they were murdered. He could even make out several children with a similar state of undress. His hands closed into a fist and he shook with rage.</p><p>"There were no hoof prints in the ground." said the Prince making Baelium blink confusedly.</p><p>"My prince?" asked Ser Addison with a frown.</p><p>"When we rode in through the village entrance we did not see any hoof prints. The locals we talked to confirmed that the night of the attack it rained heavily. Yet we see no hoof tracks. These bandits did not use horses." said the Prince</p><p>"If the bandits were already in the village then that would explain the lack of prints isn't it, my prince?" asked Ser Addison</p><p>"If so then they must have left prints once they left the village won't it?" asked Baelium to which he saw the prince nodded.</p><p>"The boats. The bandits used boats." concluded Ser Addison</p><p>When they searched the shores the place was distinctively clean and it lacked boats.</p><p>"Now we know why they only attack fishing villages. They do not travel the lands by horses or on foot. They target the fishing villages because they travel through the Mander using boats." said Baelium</p><p>"Or they could have walked through the village entrance and then left via the boats after they did what they did." said the Prince which made him nod in agreement. That was also a distinct possibility.</p><p>"How will we catch them?" asked Ser Addison out loud.</p><p>"Have you not seen an obvious pattern in these attacks, Ser Addison? The Strangers seems to be attacking along the Mander towards the east." said the Prince before turning on Ser Ethan. "Are there any villages further east of this village?"</p><p>"Yes, my prince. A fishing village just a few miles away from our position." Answered the portly knight.</p><p>"Then we move to that village but we don't enter as we are but in companies of three and that too dressed as traders. We take only chainmail and our swords. Leave armour and our horses." Commanded the prince.</p><p>He looked to Ser Addison questioningly and at the nod of the kingsguard knight, he followed the order of the prince. While he was sworn to follow the commands of Prince Rhaegar he had to obey the orders of the King. The King charged Ser Addison to be on charge and he was not keen on breaking that order.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Ch5: The Dark Sister</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Visenya once thought power belonged to those who can wield power without suffering the burden of that power. The Dragonlords of Freehold proved their strength when they burned the ancient cities of Ghiscari to the ground. From the ashes of one civilization, another took birth. One that was believed to last thousands of years secure under the might of dragons. The sons of Valyria spread out into the wider continent and established the largest empire the world has ever seen in living memory. With dragonfire, Valyrians proved they were not just conquerors but builders as well. Builders of great marvels like the city of Volantis, Lys, Tyrosh, Myr, the everlasting roads that spanned Essos and great castles and towers of Valyria itself that touched the skies.</p><p>For aeons, Valyria remained a shining beacon on the world supreme in every way compared to other civilizations. Valyria's wealth was not just in gold but in the knowledge it possessed. The great thinkers, sorcerers and philosophers led the Valyrian people to great heights while the rest of the world languished in their mediocrity. She was a legacy of the great civilization lost to the Doom. It was her duty to maintain that same vibrance and greatness in the new kingdom that she and her siblings built. Else her family would once again witness a disaster the likes of which her grandfather brought to House Targaryen.</p><p>Her grandfather in his infinite wisdom sold out valuable artefacts and relics of House Targaryen in return for gold. Many great artefacts like dragon horns, sacred tomes, Valyrian steel daggers and circlets were sold away. Her father Aerion who reversed the policies of her grandfather managed to preserve some of the knowledge of House Targaryen. When she was born it was her father that taught her the many spells and higher mysteries of the world. It was her father that lit the fire of ambition in the hearts of her siblings that led to the conquest of Westeros.</p><p>Bards may write songs about her brother's bravery and power but it was she who devised the strategy to subjugate the continent. Her planning and efforts saw to it that the present-day Crownlands and Riverlands march with the Targaryen host in the Conquest. If it was left to Aegon he would have taken the Crownlands and launched an invasion of the Reach which would have been a strategic mistake.</p><p>Her sister Rhaenys, on the other hand, was instrumental in diffusing the tensions among the many lords that fought under the Targaryen banner. While Rhaenys was no slouch in warfare or making strategies she preferred dialogue over war.</p><p>Visenya had so many fond memories of her little sister but now lost because of a needless war over a wasteland. Aegon's ego was the reason she lost her sister and she would never forgive him for that. Her brother knew she blamed him for the death of Rhaenys. Perhaps that was why he was no longer intimate with her after Rhaenys passed away. Once she had loved her husband as she had loved her sister but now that has long passed. She stayed by his side for the sake of her sister and the legacy that she left behind. Twin dragons were born from her sister's body and it was for those children that she stayed by Aegon's side even if this forced her to spend less time with her own son. If it was she who had died she was sure Rhaenys would have done the same for her little Maegor.</p><p>Her concern for Aenys and Rhaegar was not just because they were her sister's legacy but because it would be their duty to build upon what she and her siblings painstakingly built after a lifetime of war. So much blood has been shed on both sides and if house Targaryen won't be able to hold the kingdoms together anarchy would follow.</p><p>There were enemies hidden in shadows waiting to pounce on the kingdom that she and her siblings built. She knew the High Septon had declared Aegon as King because the Hightowers and the Grey Rats of the Citadel advised caution after the Field of Fire. She had miscalculated on the response from Oldtown else she would have urged her siblings to attack further into the Reach.</p><p>The Westerlands were properly put down and the Lannister hold on their former kingdom was shaky. She had it on good authority that the Lannisters are holding it together because of their wealth and Aegon declaring them as the Wardens of the West. There was discontent in the Vale but for now, it was just isolated to some heated conversations in Gulltown. This discontent was largely directed at Ronnel Arryn who turned out to be a sword swallower. For the time being the scandal had yet to gain traction due to the timely intervention of a few loyal lords. Combined this with the defeat the Arryns suffered during the Conquest has spooked many to have dangerous opinions. So long as those opinions remain opinions she was going to leave them to it but she was keeping her eyes open.</p><p>The Stormlands and Riverlands were tranquil and the two Lord Paramounts were people she could trust. Both of them has been doing an admirable job in keeping the lords in line. The North was for the time being silent and in splendid isolation completely keeping a blind eye to the south.</p><p>She had her concerns when a group of Northmen formed a Sellsword company in Braavos. She hated the Braavosi and mixing them with sturdy First Men was a disaster waiting to happen but so far nothing out of the ordinary seems to be at play. Last she heard the Company of Rose was fighting for Norvos against a local warlord based on the hills of Andalos. Even if she saw them as a threat she gathered anyone that named a sellsword company after a flower was not worth her time.</p><p>Rather she was interested in the Starks and thankfully they were for the time being silently fuming in their castle. Rhaenys had brilliantly made Lyra Stark the wife of Ronnel Arryn. It was a subtle threat and incentive for Torrhen Stark to rein in his people else an Arryn would one day rule from Winterfell. Although, that was now out of the picture with how Ronnel Arryn turned out.</p><p>"I think you should tone down your stare dear cousin. The portrait of your late grandfather seems a tad bit uncomfortable." said a voice from her side.</p><p>Visenya turned to face the owner of the voice who turned out to be Aethan Velaryon. She already knew the identity of the speaker as none would dare speak so informally with her and none could claim kinship to a Targaryen save the Velaryons. She glared one last time at her grandfather's portrait which Aegon had for reasons beyond her understanding decided to place in the small council chambers.</p><p>"I see you have returned from your trip to Lys cousin. Did you have a good journey?" she asked as she watched Aethan take a seat by her side on the table. In the absence of her brother, she was sitting at the head of the table leading the small council sessions. This would be the last session before she would be flying back to Dragonstone and be with Maegor.</p><p>"A very productive journey I have to say. Met some old friends of yours and the King's for that matter." said Aethan happily and Visenya was reminded of her uncle Daemon for a moment. If nothing else Aethan had inherited the adventurous streak of his father who was her favourite uncle. She still remembered the many tales of his exploits and cherished those stories in her heart. It was a dark day for her personally when her uncle died while fighting the Arryn fleet near Gulltown.</p><p>"How is Lys? What say our friends in the Perfumed daughter?" she asked keeping away painful memories of the past.</p><p>"The city remains the same although the ports are now filled with Braavosi vessels. You were right to be wary of our Braavosi friends. They are spreading their influence most rapidly in the absence of a significant retaliation from Volantis." said Aethan more subduedly.</p><p>"I warned Aegon not to make common cause with those bankers from Braavos." Hissed Visenya before calming herself down. "There is no point in arguing over what has already happened. Have you secured what you were looking for?"</p><p>"Yes indeed cousin." said Aethan happily before taking out a rolled piece of parchment and handed it over to her.</p><p>She looked at the insignia of a chisel affixed on the seal.</p><p>"That is an official contract by the Guild of builders in Lys to rebuild the Aegonfort. They just need your official seal on it and then they will send their finest architects to King's Landing to survey the land and showcase their designs." said Aethan which made Visenya smile.</p><p>She had repeatedly insisted on building a proper castle instead of the mud addled wooden construct that was over their head. It had taken a lifetime of nagging for her brother to sanction the construction of the city walls. That project was in danger of being delayed and dragged on but thankfully Rhaegar had shown an interest in its progress. The result was that her nephew managed to recruit enough people to oversee the daily works and smooth out any problems that affected the building speed. This was something that she was thankful for and his interest in the construction of the city wall was something she never anticipated. Of course, her nephew used this project to build several bathhouses, vegetable gardens and small scale farms in the city.</p><p>At first, she feared that Rhaegar was easily manipulated by the Septas and Septons to give away wealth to the poor. This was why she had steadily resisted many of her nephew's projects. True, some of these projects were sanctioned by her late sister Rhaenys but Rhaegar was just a child. She could not trust a child in place of her sister. At least that was her initial thought but soon that perception changed when her nephew managed to construct the orphanage and made it in such a way that it became self-sufficient. Nowadays, the orphanage was running on its own earnings from the small scale farms it was running.</p><p>Seeing this kind of discretion and attention to detail from her nephew her caution was toned down. This was why she asked Aegon to allow the funds for building the bathhouses and gardens which turned out to be a huge success. It didn't escape her attention that her nephew was very good in investing the gold in developing businesses and earn back twice what was spent. She would have never thought Rhaegar to be this practical and farsighted. She knew he was a brilliant child but she was surprised the way he exercised his knowledge in life. With regular involvement, Rhaegar had managed to extract a considerable amount of goodwill from the people. Although, she was wary of the Faith she could see that Rhaegar was appealing to many in the Sept.</p><p>This was why she had an easy time convincing Aegon to rebuild the Aegonfort. This was something Rhaegar was also interested in and it was his suggestion to recruit architects from Lys or Tyrosh. The new castle will get the needed secrecy in its designs and then there was the added benefit of using Valyrian architecture in the construction. This was made possible because of Rhaegar who had introduced liquid rock which he referred to as cement when construction of the city walls began. She had heard of liquid rock but she thought the secret was lost in the ashes of Valyria. But here it was one of the oldest knowledge of her ancestors reborn and that too from a child. This discovery had taken away any of her insecurities and fears for the future of her house. With Rhaegar and Maegor she was sure House Targaryen would only grow in power and influence.</p><p>The only one that needs her care and concern right now would be the eldest son of her sister, Aenys. A young boy who was unfortunately addled with sickness and weakness from his birth. The boy was unlucky to be cursed with such a fate and she had tried her best to enhance Aenys with statesmanship. She had tried her best to teach him to control other people not through force but wile. Rhaegar and Maegor would serve as the force behind the throne but Aenys needed to be mindful to direct the enormous power in his grasp. Contrary to her expectations Aenys was a reclusive boy who preferred reading books and scrolls in dark corners of his room. The only times the boy would get some sunlight on his pale skin would be when Rhaegar drag his brother outside.</p><p>This had left her stumped on how to handle Aenys. She dearly loved her nephew but she feared what would happen when he ascended the throne. Rhaegar was too emotionally attached to his brother for all his growth in other matters. Aenys's reclusive attitude was a product of his physical weakness and something he inherited from his father. Aegon was also a recluse in his younger years and the only ones he could connect with were Rhaenys, Orys and herself. Later in life, Aegon learned to adapt with the help of Rhaenys but Aegon was strong in heart. Aenys was not like that and she was seeing the worst version of Aegon as the heir of the kingdom. She dearly hoped this would change especially with the impending nuptials of Aenys and Alyssa. This was something that she had an extensive hand in as she could not bear to imagine some Andal woman whispering poison into the ears of the future king of Westeros.</p><p>"My Queen. A messenger is here to see you." said Ser Humfrey of the Kingsguard who had apparently entered the council chambers. She shook herself of the thoughts that had dragged her into a world of its own and turned her attention on the steel cladded knight.</p><p>"Who is this messenger Ser Humfrey?" she asked</p><p>"A messenger from Hunter my Queen."</p><p>Now that gave her pause and she scrutinized the knight before she gave her permission to let the messenger in. While her position of Queen was more than enough to let her have a seat in the Small Council she also served as Master of Whispers for her brother.</p><p>There were three sets of spies in the capital at the moment. There were her men, there were those spies employed by her nephew although he thinks he was discreet in creating this network and then there were those maesters that served the Hightowers. All other spies were her own double agents and provided her with more information about their original masters. Hunter was someone that she had in the Reach and to send word this early into her brother's procession gave her an ill-feeling.</p><p>The messenger came in and she took in the appearance of the messenger critically. The man was a trader of some sort or most likely a farmer. She cared not what the man did for a living so long as he was useful.</p><p>"Speak." she commanded</p><p>"The young prince has split from the king's riding party my queen."</p><p>"What!"</p><p>"Aye, my Queen. The Prince is hunting for an outlaw that goes by the name of Black Septon."</p><p>She just continued to look at the man flabbergasted at this new turn of events. She had hoped with Aegon and Ser Corlys close to her nephew he would curb his misadventures but apparently she was wrong. No matter how clever her nephew was she was reminded again and again that he was just a boy with his childish antics. She rubbed her forehead as she could feel an impending headache taking hold of her. This feeling only got more strengthened as Aethan began to question the messenger and a more detailed account was depicted.</p><p>Apparently, she should have made that boy stay in the capital rather than trust his safety with her foolish brother. Her only consolation was that Ser Addison was with that foolish boy and the knight would keep her nephew out of harm's way. She hoped that was the case else she would set Vhagar upon Addison, Baelium and her idiotic brother who styles himself as King.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Ch6: The Prince of the realm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was hard to blend in as a commoner especially in a remote fishing village. He learned that when he decided to stay by the prince's side posing as a trader seeking to buy fish from the fishermen. He was Ser Addison Hill of the Kingsguard personally inducted by Queen Visenya into the order. No, he was Addison the Fishmonger as the Prince would like to call him.</p><p>He was immensely indebted to the Targaryen monarchs for offering him a position among the White Cloaks. After the end of the war, his prospects were not looking well and he was planning to join a few of his friends in seeking a job in Essos. The stigma associated with his bastardry would see him excluded in certain circles and he had no intention in serving under a moron with higher opinions of themselves simply because of their birth. Then the Queen impressed by his powers in the battlefield offered him a post that would give him glory and recognition.</p><p>Turns out it was a double-edged sword as he was now dressed up as a glorified merchant from Crownlands seeking a steady supply of fish. He had thought if anyone would be uncomfortable it would be Prince Rhaegar but no! The young prince was in his element completely immersing into the local village playing his part as Nemo the Taster. The Prince was supposed to be his nephew who could take one whiff of a fish and tell whether it will be tasty or not. He was still struggling to understand how that was supposed to keep them hidden.</p><p>But to his surprise, the smallfolk believed every lie the Prince made up in a short amount of time. The Prince or Nemo as the smallfolk called him was doing what he did best while he was forced to bear the shame of trading fish! There was no glory in trading fish, he thought with some scorn. His only relief was that he could escape this godforsaken place after two more days. By then the time allotted by the King would come to pass and he could finally be free of this shameful play. A few weeks later these last few days would look like a nightmare he had on a bad night.</p><p>But till those two days have passed he would endure for the sake of duty and his paths.</p><p>"Here lad. This salmon is rare only to the Mander. Hold this over a fire for a few moments and you'd never taste anything better." said a local fish trader as he handed over a large fleshy salmon to the prince who took a whiff of the fish. Then the Prince began to animatedly discuss the taste and supposed health the fish offered with the fisherman.</p><p>Frankly, Addison couldn't understand how the Prince could act as if he was an experienced fish trader. He had thought the Prince's story wouldn't hold up with these people but surprisingly it did. He didn't know whether he was going mad or the Smallfolk in these lands were just dumb. Either way, he was looking forward to getting out of this predicament as soon as possible.</p><p>"A long sturdy body and the right amount of flesh for keeping one's belly full. Just with a few pinches of salt and heat you get a fish that would fill your belly." The Prince gave his verdict after a lengthy inspection which made Addison stare incredulously at the second son of King Aegon.</p><p>In contrast the fisherman was bouncing on his legs excited that his catch was getting praised.</p><p>"We will take a barrel of these beauties Polts." said the Prince.</p><p>"Only a barrel?" asked Polts with palpable disappointment.</p><p>"Ah, first we must test the quality of your fish Polts. Then only can we decide whether we should buy in bulk. Our market is in King's Landing and we never know when the Royal Family takes an interest. So we always keep our merchandise in top quality."</p><p>Truly Addison was surprised at the ease with which the Prince was spilling lies. To him, it looked like the Prince was doing it as easy as breathing. Then again the Prince has always been a troublemaker who wormed his way out of trouble with his silver tongue.</p><p>"You have the Royal Family as your customers?" asked Polts excitedly.</p><p>"Oh yes. My uncle is a very famous Fishmonger you see. He has a few shops in the Capital City as well as in Duskandale. The Royal Dragons always seek out fresh meat be it fish or animal. You see they have gigantic dragons that prefer raw meat to sate their appetite." said the Prince</p><p>"I've heard of those Dragons. Are they as big as a castle?" a nearby fisherman asked who's name Addison forgot. Not that it was any special name as he was sure it would be something as ridiculous as Polts. The names these people have for themselves, he thought with a snort.</p><p>"For once my good man the rumours are true. There is Balerion the Black Dread, the largest of Dragons. Its roar would shake the bones of any sturdy knight. Vhagar has the hottest of flames. Then the dragons of the two princes sleek and fast. Of course, this means the dragons ought to be fed and we fishmongers make a fortune in the capital."</p><p>"Truly! The dragons prefer fish?" asked Polts excitedly and Addison could see the greed shining in the fisherman's eyes.</p><p>"Oh yes. The dragons love fish especially those that are fleshy." said the Prince and Addison rolled his eyes at another blatant lie.</p><p>Living in King's Landing he was more than familiar with the appetite of the dragons. Those flying monstrosities most certainly did not prefer some small fish. The dragons preferred hunting for whales and sharks in the sea. If that was not available they preferred pigs and cows. He wondered why the Prince lied about that though.</p><p>Later that day he was collecting some firewood for their nightly stay with the prince in tow. As the village was a fishing village there was a lack of proper lodging and that had forced them to make a camp on the outskirts of the village. For security reasons, everyone in their party has been ordered to keep a healthy distance from the shores. He didn't want any of his fighting men to be in the way of a surprise attack from the bandits. Just because he thought this was a waste of time didn't mean he was not cautious.</p><p>Taking in all the anger and frustration he felt at the ridiculous situation he found himself in he swung. The wood split cleanly in two courtesy of his axe and the Prince was there to push another piece of wood to his line of sight. The wood suffered the same fate as the previous one under his axe.</p><p>"You look as if you are killing some hated enemy Ser Addison." Commented Rhaegar</p><p>"What gave you that idea my Prince?" asked Addison as he continued to split wood.</p><p>"You have a very disturbing smile on your face Ser. Isn't that right Ser Baelium?"</p><p>Addison glared at the Crownlander knight who was trying and failing in lighting up a fire. The knight looked up from his efforts of creating fire by rubbing sticks only to be on the receiving end of Addison's glare.</p><p>"Perhaps Ser Addison misses the opportunity to swing his sword and is compensating with the axe my prince. We knights tend to be at odds with ourselves when we can't train." said Ser Baelium diplomatically.</p><p>"Hmm…is that so?" the Prince raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Don't you worry Ser Addison. I am sure you will have your chance to bloody your sword soon enough."</p><p>"Really! How can you be so sure that these bandits will attack this village?" Addison asked as he took a break from cutting up firewood.</p><p>"Just look at the pattern they have kept up." said Rhaegar but Addison just stared at the prince unconvinced.</p><p>"They have targeted fishing villages so far and hardly left any tracks on the ground. That means they arrive through boats. The pattern of attacks that they follow is in order towards the east of the Mander so we know they are travelling along with the flow of the river. They are travellers or nomads striking at villages that they pass by. There is no sense of planning in their strikes except for killing every living thing they come across. And attacking fishing villages is not going to give them a mountain of wealth. This means they do this for pleasure, not for materialistic possessions. In short, these men are madmen extracting pleasure by inflicting pain, misery and death upon others." explained Rhaegar</p><p>"And you wonder why I object to your presence here in this ill-thought adventure. These men won't hesitate to kill you and you are willingly throwing yourself up against them for the sake of fun." growled Addison</p><p>"No. I am throwing myself at them so that they will stop exploiting the good people of these lands. I wouldn't have to do that if the local lords and knights of these lands actually did their jobs. But no! They are all busy gorging themselves up with food, wine and women. Why would they care about some dead smallfolk and burnt out fishing villages?"</p><p>Addison had no retort to that so he wisely kept his tongue on the matter.</p><p>"Doesn't mean you would have had to directly involve yourself, my prince. We are just worried about your safety." said Ser Baelium surprisingly siding with him on the matter but even then the Prince had a rebuttal.</p><p>"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." said the Prince and that if nothing else silenced both Addison and Baelium.</p><p>Addison had nothing much to say after that as what the Prince said was a fundamental concept adhered in the oath sworn by a knight. While he wouldn't claim that he was a perfect knight he did try to live up to his oaths however conflicting he found them to be. It was for this reason he stopped all his complaints about the present scenario and decided to wait patiently for the last two days of their stay to pass.</p><p>That night Addison found Baelium keeping watch near the fire while the prince peacefully slept inside the tent.</p><p>"You may take your rest Ser Baelium. I will keep the watch." offered Addison as he took a seat near the fire.</p><p>"I can keep the watch, Ser Addison. You worked hard today and you would need the rest."</p><p>"Not as much as you need. I can see you are barely holding back sleep. Take some rest Ser…." He trailed off as the peaceful night sky was pierced by a scream.</p><p>"Did you hear that?" Addison asked but Baelium merely looked confused.</p><p>Then another scream followed and this time he knew that it was not his mind playing tricks on him. The scream came from the direction of the village and both of them looked at the fishing village peacefully slumbering under the veil of darkness. The night sky was cloudy and little moonlight was left for them to observe the village. Then a fire was lit in the village shocking them both. Addison realised that it was a wooden house that was burning and screams began to pick up the pace.</p><p>"Bandits?" asked Baelium</p><p>"Maybe or it could be a genuine fire." He mused</p><p>"What do we do?"</p><p>He took a moment to think and then the words of the prince came floating back into his mind. He quickly came to a decision and hoped that he was making the right choice.</p><p>"Alert the others and take a few men with you to the village. If there are bandits sound the horn." He ordered as he began to douse the fire lest the bandits notice their presence.</p><p>When Baelium left he moved into the tent and saw the prince was awake.</p><p>"What was that?" asked the prince</p><p>"A house is burning in the village, my prince." He reported as he took out the chainmail and weapons from their belongings and handed them to the prince.</p><p>"Bandits?"</p><p>"We don't know for sure but I intend to find out. Whatever happens, you will not leave my side. I know I won't be able to stop you from going into the village but you will stay by my side no matter what."</p><p>When the prince nodded he let out a sigh of relief and helped the prince to don the chainmail and fasten weapons on his person. After that, they slowly began to move towards the village joined by several other men in their party on the way. Just as they were about to near the village a horn blew.</p><p>"That was Ser Baelium. There are bandits in the village. We don't know how many so go in groups of two. Do not show any mercy. Kill them all." Addison ordered before he stuck close to the prince and moved to the village at the far back of their party.</p><p>Soon they were in the thick of the fighting. Addison barked out orders once he saw that the bandits were spread out unevenly throughout the village. Even in the chaos of the battle, he kept a firm hold on the prince afraid of what might happen. He was however forced to relinquish his hold when a bandit managed to reach near his charge. He parried the axe that was aimed at his ribs with his sword and punched the bandit with his left hand. He flipped his sword and gripped it in reverse hand and swiped the sharp edge through the bandit's neck drawing a sharp red line. Red hot blood sprayed from the bandit's neck and the bandit fell to his knees spitting out blood straight into the face of the prince. The man died clawing at his throat desperately trying to keep blood from pouring out.</p><p>"This what the real battlefield is Prince Rhaegar. There is no glory, there is no right or wrong in it. This is just one man killing the other pure and simple." He said to the prince as he ducked a swing from another bandit while driving his sword through his opponent's belly.</p><p>He looked into the shocked eyes of the Prince and dragged his sword out of the bandit's belly spilling blood and guts into the floor. Many more wooden structures were now burning increasing the visibility but at the same time covering the entire area with smoke. It was getting difficult to breathe but the battle was raging on around them all the same. He could see the Prince looked quite sick at the blood and gore that was spilling around him.</p><p>He felt a little sorry for the young lad to see this but he hoped this would temper the recklessness of the Prince. Seeking out battlefields on a misplaced sense of self-esteem and morals tend to end badly in most cases. Before he could shake up the prince a figure barged out of the smoke aiming to skewer the prince with an axe. His eyes widened and shouted at the prince in a warning. Thankfully the prince had the presence of mind to throw himself to the side effectively escaping a gruesome death.</p><p>And just like that Addison was once again facing a bandit and this one was wearing armour, unlike the others. His enemy was wielding two axes which made it difficult for Addison to manoeuvre. Not to mention the aggressive attacks from the bandit was quite effective in keeping him solely on the defensive. There was a moment in the fight that he thought he was going to lose and then a sword pierced straight through the left knee of his enemy. To his surprise he found his saviour to be Prince Rhaegar who quickly drew back his sword and beheaded the bandit. The prince's legs wobbled and he watched as Rhaegar fell to his knees throwing up on the spot. He rushed in and dragged the prince to his feet all the while keeping an eye out for any more enemies.</p><p>"This is not the time and place to get sick my prince." he admonished as he slapped Rhaegar's back two times. Thankfully that seemed to bring a semblance of alertness to the prince.</p><p>"I know. I know…. It's just not easy." The prince heaved and huffed but managed to breathe out evenly and steady himself.</p><p>"It is never easy. So are you ready? We got to move from here. The smoke is getting thicker and it is getting harder to breathe."</p><p>"Lead the way Ser."</p><p>Addison led the Prince away from the burning wreckage of several small huts. He would have preferred to get back and leave the village but something told him that the prince would oppose strongly. Instead, he and the prince concentrated on helping people out of the village and thankfully the prince was fine with that.</p><p>In helping the people escape they came across a small wooden cabin where a woman was screaming. He kicked in the door and saw that it was a man raping a woman. Before he could so much as blink the prince took matters into his own hands and swung his sword. The surprised bandit didn't even get to see anything before his head was rolling on the ground. This time Addison noticed that the prince was keeping his balance. He was quick to help the woman out of the cabin and the prince gave the woman a blanket to cover her modesty.</p><p>They went from cabin after cabin and hut after hut liberating women and children from the bandits. Until finally they walked in on a scene where some of their men were cut down by a group of bandits. Among them, he saw a figure with a red helmet.</p><p>"Are you the Black Septon?" he asked as he saw many of their men had also caught up to the bandits. Now that he knew that he had men at his back he could end this fight favourable to his side. Ser Baelium was also present and thankfully pulled the prince to the back of the group.</p><p>"Do you wish to meet the Stranger?" asked the one with the red helmet.</p><p>"No but just tell him that I send my regards." said Addison before he charged at the bandits followed by his men. He was confident in leaving the prince behind as Baelium would no doubt guard the prince.</p><p>Addison found himself facing the Black Septon while the others took on the bandits. He had to be extra careful in how he fought as he was not wearing any armour and to make matters worse it was starting to rain all of a sudden. The Black Septon was wearing armour and was a good swordsman. Addison actually was beginning to enjoy himself fighting the bandit leader to his own horror. But that came to an end when another bandit tried to intervene in the fight. While he did slit the throat of the bandit the Black Septon managed to disarm him.</p><p>Addison fell back as the Black Seton kicked him down to the ground. His life up to this point flashed through his eyes as the Black Septon raised his sword to end his life. But then a small figure jumped in and engaged the Black Septon in single combat. The haze surrounding his vision cleared and to his horror, he realised that it was Prince Rhaegar who was fighting the bandit leader. He struggled to find his sword in the mud and the rain was starting to set in making it hard for him to find his weapon.</p><p>He felt the prince being kicked into the mud and he hauled himself to protect the prince with his body if necessary. Then the unthinkable happened. He watched as Rhaegar drew his arms back and threw something from the ground. He watched with an open mouth as the bandit leader fell to his knees with a thin knife lodged in his throat. The Prince who was lying in the mud climbed to his feet and swung the sword. The rain washed away the blood and the night hid the act from many but Addison saw it all clear and true. When his eyes found the purple eyes of the prince it held no weakness but only strength. At that moment he saw a dragon, a dragon taking birth out of a roaring inferno with the head of Black Septon in one arm while the other held steel.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Ch7: The House of Dragons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rhaegar let out a grunt as his waist was tightened with white bandages dipped in peppermint oil. It was supposed to bring down pain and he hoped that it would work because he was having a lot of pain from his ribs. Apparently, taking a full-blown kick from a grown man while wearing chainmail was a bad idea. That was a lesson he took to his heart and he would not repeat the same mistake ever again if he could help it.</p><p>At the same time on his left hand, a wound was packed in with bandages and some honey. These measures would do so for now before they could reach the safety of Tumbleton.</p><p>"How're you feeling, my prince?" asked Baelium sporting a concerned frown on his face.</p><p>"I think you were going easy on the training yard. That bandit kicked me with enough force that I nearly saw heaven." said Rhaegar and groaned painfully when he tried to adjust his position on the bed.</p><p>Well, it was bound to be painful considering he was lying on top of a type of bed that looked hardly anything like a bed. It was just a pile of clothes on the ground and on top of that he was lying down recovering from last night's ordeal.</p><p>"We are so sorry my prince. We don't have anything better for you to lie down." said Polts the fisherman with shame. It was the same fisherman that Rhaegar had befriended in the village yesterday. He was glad the man survived.</p><p>"Oh no. You and your family have been gracious hosts to me Polts." He reassured the fisherman who had little in his life and had yet shared what he had with all of them.</p><p>Despite his efforts, the man looked like he was horribly embarrassed in his supposed failure in treating royalty. To distract the man Rhaegar latched on to the other members of Polts.</p><p>"Introduce me to your family Polts."</p><p>That excited the fisherman who pulled his children forward.</p><p>"My eldest son, Colts." The fisherman introduced an older boy that looked like he was old enough to twenty. A well-rounded face greeted him with an awkward smile and Rhaegar, in turn, gave a small smile.</p><p>"Well met."</p><p>"Then my youngest son Dols." said Polts pushing a young boy of seven. The young boy was so shy that his cheeks and ears were red. Although, that was preferable to the black soot covering the boy's hands and face.</p><p>"Are you really a prince?" asked the young boy only to receive admonishments from his father and brother.</p><p>Looking at the innocent face of Dols made him think about his own younger brother Maegor. Last night he had nearly died and when the bandit had kicked him down the first face that sprang to his mind was of Maegor. Perhaps it was his subconscious mind trying to communicate something to him. He shook those thoughts away for the time being and smiled at the young boy. He beckoned him closer and he waved off the apologies from the rest of the family.</p><p>"If anybody should doubt when you say that you met a prince show them this." said Rhaegar as he handed Dols his own silver ring that had the insignia of House Targaryen.</p><p>"My prince you shouldn't have to do that." said Pols</p><p>"And yet I have done so. I do have a brother of a similar age and children no matter their birth ought to be treated as children." said Rhaegar as he patted Dols on his head. The small boy was staring at the ring in utter fascination and happiness. At that moment he wished he had something truly useful he could gift to the family.</p><p>"We ought to move to Tumbleton today my prince." Interjected Baelium</p><p>"Oh! I had hoped we could stay for a day."</p><p>"Not with your condition and that of the men. In the castle, the wounds could be treated properly. Besides we would be imposing on the people of this village."</p><p>"You are right. The people of this village have enough problems to worry about." He said thoughtfully. "So when are we going?"</p><p>"I was hoping we could move by noon. It will give us time to treat those who are seriously wounded and gives our men some resting time." Belgium suggested.</p><p>"Hmm. That's alright then. I suppose we move at noon." Rhaegar assented before frowning at his sworn shield. "Where is Ser Addison?"</p><p>"Overseeing the men and burying the dead." said Baelium</p><p>"Oh. How many did we lose and what about the villagers?" asked Rhaegar with a grimace.</p><p>"We count three men, my prince. The death toll among the Smallfolk is not certain. We are looking for survivors and we have to search for the burnt houses to get an exact number."</p><p>Rhaegar closed his eyes and prayed for those poor souls. He didn't pray to any god but just made a wish that their souls would rest in peace. He was someone who derided prayer and religious apparatuses in his world but lately he had found some peace of mind in praying. He knew that he was outsourcing his issues to an imaginary omniscient being in the sky. When faced with the kind of shit that he went through even a staunchest atheist would find solace in religion. Already he could feel a headache settle in as his rational mind argued with his irrational faith using logic and cold hard facts.</p><p>"Let me get some rest Ser Baelium. Will you be joining Ser Addison?" he asked as he briefly disengaged from his thoughts with his eyes closed.</p><p>"I will stay by your side, my Prince. A moment I am away you managed to injure yourself. It is a failure on my part and I am not keen on making that same mistake again." said Ser Baelium with a huff.</p><p>Rhaegar could feel that the knight was trying to cheer him up with some banter but he had no wit to spent after last night's events. The blood and gore nauseated him and thinking about that incident forced him to relive those events. It was hard to take those sensations out and for some reason, each moment of last night's battle was imprinted in his conscious with stark clarity.</p><p>Till last night he had never thought a battlefield would feel like that. He felt dirty and no matter what he felt that feeling would not go away.</p><p>Till yesterday he had never killed anyone in his life. He had not even killed an animal to his knowledge. Even when he stayed in King's Landing he had not harmed any animals. He knew that he was expected to kill or maim another living being when the situation called for it. When he decided to seek out the bandits he thought he would be ready but he was not.</p><p>He had thought that he would be killing the worst criminals and would bring justice to those who were suffering. He didn't feel he committed justice last night.</p><p>No! What he did last night was murder. And through that murder, he contributed to justice.</p><p>He killed a bandit who was hell-bent on killing a lot of people for his pleasure. By killing those bandits he stopped any future victims of that bandit. That was the only significant achievement of last night's events. He also most likely saved this village from annihilation. But in the process, he felt he became a part of something and he wasn't sure whether that was something he could live with.</p><p>He wished he could just fall asleep because closing his eyes was not only proving to be ineffective but it was contributing to making him queasy. He felt as if blood was sticking on to his hands and itched to wash it away. A portion of his mind argued that his hands were clean but his senses were not agreeing with that thought.</p><p>It was confusing and it was scary. He was a bundle of emotions and he doesn't know what he was going to do about it. But one thing he could agree on was that if he had the chance he would murder the one responsible for sending him into this world. He didn't care if it was gods, an ASB or the bloody Easter Bunny. He was going to kill that bloody thing even if it was the last thing he would do.</p><hr/><p>"Your grace, a raven arrived from Tumbleton." said Maester Gorme</p><p>Aegon accepted the scroll of parchment from the Maester who was a travelling companion in his procession.</p><p>
  <em>Your grace,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We have succeeded in routing out the bandits within the time you graciously allowed. The Prince personally slew the bandit leader, the self-proclaimed Black Septon. We lost three Crownlanders in the battle but managed to save a village from the vices of the bandits. We resume our journey on first light.</em>
</p><p>-<em>Ser Addison Hill</em></p><p>"I see. It seems my son has dealt with these bandits." said Aegon as a proud smile blossomed on his face.</p><p>"Your grace. Shall I oversee the arrangements you asked for?"</p><p>"Yes… Yes, indeed Maester Gorme. Do see to those arrangements." said Aegon distractedly never taking his eyes off from the piece of parchment in his hand.</p><p>The Maester moved away in a hurry to carry out his orders and he finally took his eyes away from the parchment distracted by his son's dragon taking to the sky. He watched as the aptly named Starfyre glide through the sky perhaps in reflection of Rhaegar's success. Dragons have been known to be extremely intelligent and empathic with its riders.</p><p>He had hoped his son's hunt for the bandits to bear some fruit. But he never imagined that Rhaegar would kill the bandit leader. This made his plans all the more effective and simpler.</p><p>Aegon had come to realize that dragons alone won't be enough to control the seven kingdoms. Visenya had warned him of this fact even before he launched his conquest and at that time he had dismissed her concerns. The battle of Gulltown and his disastrous attempt to conquer Dorne had proven the wisdom in his sister's warnings.</p><p>To his defence the consecutive victories he enjoyed against Harren the Black and the combined Lannister-Gardner armies had emboldened him. He had even tried to use diplomacy with Dorne for a unification. It was only when those efforts failed he went for war despite Visenya's concerns. On doing so he lost Rhaenys and her fall shattered the invincibility of dragons.</p><p>He proved that what happened to Meraxes was a lucky shot by burning Dorne to the ground in the following year. Despite that, the Dornish war revealed dragons can be killed in battle. Not only did he failed to conquer Dorne he also made his vassals question his authority. He had Dorne on the ropes and he was determined to wipe out the Dornishmen completely but his vassals forced him to pull back the armies and abandon his dream of a unified Westeros.</p><p>He had miscalculated the resolve of the Dornish and the troops of his vassals paid their price. It was then that he saw the inherent weakness in his power. He had no blood relation or economic dominance over his vassals and hence he couldn't hope to control them indefinitely with the threat of Dragonfire. This had let him know that House Targaryen had to ingrain themselves into the local culture to generate goodwill among his vassals and the people of his realm.</p><p>To that end, he began a rapprochement with the Faith hoping to generate goodwill by showing his deference to the Seven. Although, that was a half measure as he knew that the polygamy and incest practised by his House were seen in a bad light. But that would not matter with Aenys marrying a Velaryon.</p><p>He had tried to build better relationships with other lords like Edmyn Tully whom he even named as his Hand. But all of those measures were not as effective in generating respect and loyalty toward House Targaryen. One of the crowning achievements of his reign was that he managed to generate goodwill among the Lords of Crownlands and the Narrow Sea. His Small Council was filled with lords from these two regions.</p><p>But this was not enough in his opinion and he realised he would always be limited in his efforts to promote loyalty from the lords of Reach, Westerlands, Stormlands, North and Vale. Even the Riverlords who should have felt a spark of loyalty for his aid in saving them from the yoke of the Ironborn were unreliable. He didn't even make an effort to cultivate loyalty from the Ironborn. Those pirating lunatics were inconsequential for his plans in building a better kingdom.</p><p>Where he failed he thought that his children might succeed. He was painfully aware of his heir's limitations. But Rhaegar was whom his hopes and dreams of a better unified Westeros rested on. When the time came Maegor would also join Rhaegar and with three heads the House of Dragons will achieve wonders.</p><p>He was sure of it and that's why he gave certain leeway to his second-born son. Rhaegar was smart and was skilled in befriending people. His son had the natural charisma to make friends and his benign nature made people trust Rhaegar.</p><p>Aegon could already see a bright future of his legacy. Aenys would take over as King in his place. Rhaegar will be by his brother's side being the one to attract attention and loyalty from the lords and the people of the realm similar to Rhaenys. Maegor would grow to be a warrior that would make the enemies of House Targaryen tremble replacing Visenya.</p><p>And thus the history of Westeros will be changed by three dragons. His dream may not come true in his lifetime but he will ensure that his legacy will complete the dream. The dream of a unified Seven Kingdoms growing under the shadow of three heads of the Dragon.</p><p>All of that will come to pass but first, the tale of Rhaegar has to be spread. His son may be smart but he will need help to spread his influence. As of this moment, bards will sing songs of Rhaegar's bravery. He will ensure every corner of his kingdom will hear of Rhaegar's victory over the bandits. This will not be the first but it will be a start and he had learned the valuable lesson in starting small.</p><p>Aegon looked at the rising sun from atop the Stonebridge across the Mander. He would wait for his son to reach Bitterbridge and by then he was sure the tales of his son's bravery would spread. He smiled in satisfaction at the rising sun and let the wind carry the parchment into the clean waters of the Mander.</p><p>
  <strong>AN: Now that happened. Now you know what Aegon is thinking. Any thoughts?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Is anyone interested in writing a song about Rhaegar? Could be useful in the coming chapters.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Rise a knight!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It felt cold, far too cold for his liking but there was no other option but to bear the cold. He was not so keen to move this early in the morning but Ser Addison was the one to lead their company. So the Kingsguard Knight's word was law and even a prince was bound to follow that order.</p><p>Thus Rhaegar found himself on the road well before first light. This has been the norm in the following week after he started his journey from the fishing village. While the cold was not as intense as a wintery night he felt the intensity of cold was rising day by day. Perhaps winter was nearby lurking in wait before unleashing its wrath to cull the populace of Westeros.</p><p>For a large continent, Westeros is hardly populated and population disparity is huge between the various regions of the continent. The Reach was unsurprisingly the most populated region followed by Westerlands, the Vale, the Riverlands, the Crownlands, the Stormlands, the North and the Iron Islands.</p><p>But this was soon going to change. The Riverlands was as fertile as the Reach but with constant warfare, the region was always destabilized. That would change with the Targaryen rule and decades of peace and minimal self-governance was bound to make Riverlands prosper. The same could be said for the Crownlands.</p><p>He had designs on a piece of land in Riverlands. Not just because he wanted some land to his name but he saw the piece of land as a way to curb any future Targaryen conquest of Dorne. He wanted Crownlands to be a giant trading hub but at the same time, he wanted to marginalize Dorne. Dorne's greatest asset is its trade with Lys, Volantis, Summer Islands and other eastern provinces of Essos.</p><p>Dorne's geographical position allowed this trade to flourish and he hoped to subvert this advantage from the desert principality. A canal connecting the Blue Fork to the Ironman's Bay should attract more trade. More ships would prefer the route instead of going around Dorne to reach Oldtown and Lannisport. Theoretically, this canal should increase trade in Crownlands, Riverlands, Vale, Westerlands and the Reach. The one who owns the canal will get incredibly rich and become one of the most powerful lords. He hoped to be the owner of that canal and he hoped to build a city near that canal.</p><p>This was his dream project but there were a lot of hurdles before he could even start this massive undertaking. He had to first ensure King's Landing was properly built to start this project. Then there was the funds and manpower to think of. The canal itself was going to cost a fortune and building a new city was going to be another headache. All of this requires manpower which the Riverlands lacked at the moment. If workers could be called in from other kingdoms then it may be possible.</p><p>This was the reason why he was very keen on surveying the lands of every kingdom sworn to the Iron Throne. The present taxes paid to the Iron Throne was a pittance compared to the annual revenue of some of the major lords of the realm. The Riverlands and Crownlands need time to regain their economy as the war of conquest and other wars fought on these lands were costly.</p><p>This is why Rhaegar was keen on raising taxes on major cities and some of the more affluent lords of the Reach and Westerlands. The crown needed funds to connect all the lands it controls. The best way to do that is to build better transportation. While he was no fan of Jaehaerys Targaryen but the guy had the right idea to build roads. Economically connecting the kingdoms was the way forward in keeping the peace and it is good for the prosperity of the masses.</p><p>When the Crown sponsored works would commence it would require enormous spending. But he had a plan to cycle the capital back into the coffers and that was by promoting local businesses and establishing a smooth system of taxation.</p><p>Again this circle back to increasing taxes on highly affluent lords. In the Reach alone there were too many affluent lords not to mention the political yoke they hold over the Iron Throne was a danger in his eyes. The Reach was the cultural capital of Westeros for a long time, there was no doubt about that. House Hightower alone had influence over the two most influential organizations of Westeros. The taxes were the first step in diminishing the power of the Reach. He had plans, dangerous plans but that would require time, influence and a lot of work.</p><p>"You are hard at thought my prince. What bothers you so?" asked Baelium who had carefully managed to flank Rhaegar.</p><p>"Ah, just thinking about all the work that remains to be done." He said shaking himself out of thoughts</p><p>"I believe those maesters and tax collectors with the King would do a fine job. There is no need for you to worry about everything my prince." said Baelium</p><p>"Oh, I am not worried." which was a blatant lie as he didn't trust any of the Grey Rats that hung around his father. "I think there is much to learn by observing the maesters and tax collectors at work."</p><p>"What is there to know? They just go around village after village and collect taxes." said Baelium as if that was obvious.</p><p>"Yes, but how? Are all the villages taxed equally? Is it based on the acres of farmlands? Or is it based on yearly produce? Or is it based on just coin made by the lord of the land?" he fired off question after question only to receive an incredulous stare from Ser Baelium.</p><p>"To my knowledge, the lords collect the taxes and the king tax the lords." said Baelium</p><p>"Not exactly true Ser Brune." Ser Addison pitched in and Rhaegar just wondered how the Kingsguard knight sneaks into his conversations.</p><p>"What do you mean?" asked Baelium with a frown.</p><p>"While what you say is true to some extent. But I believe the King intends to overhaul this system."</p><p>"Truly! Won't the lords protest? After all, no lords would prefer the Crown interfere in their lands." Baelium pointed out.</p><p>"The Crownlands will be the first to be affected by this reform. The other kingdoms not so much." said Ser Addison with a shrug.</p><p>"Where did you learn this Ser?" Rhaegar asked as he frowned at the Kingsguard Knight.</p><p>"I am surprised you have not been informed, my prince. I assumed you were told." said Ser Addison now looking quite troubled as the knight realised that he spilt a secret of his King.</p><p>"This is the first that I am hearing of this. I just assumed father intended to survey the lands and raise taxes of affluent lords." said Rhaegar and then went silent as he quietly pondered the issue.</p><p>On one hand, it was stupid of him to not learn the current method of taxing. While he knew the lords were the ones that collected the taxes from their land holdings he had assumed that the crown had established a certain percentage of taxes to each region. He knew the Crownlands paid taxes according to the size of land held by the lords. He just assumed this was the case for every other region.</p><p>This was one more shortcoming that he saw in his kingly father. The inability to properly communicate Aegon's intentions was famous in the court. The only person that his father interacted openly was with Orys Baratheon who is sadly holed up in Storm's End after the Dornish War.</p><p>He berated himself for not looking deeper into the matter. He should have had a word with his aunt Visenya before this trip. The only reason that he did not do so was because of the awkwardness to face the Queen. Not to mention he always felt intimidated in her presence.</p><p>A drop of water fell on his forehead jolting him out of his thoughts. He looked to the sky and to his disappointment it was beginning to rain. Already they were delayed because of repeated rains in their journey. It seems like they were not going to catch a break.</p><p>Due to bad weather and muddy roads they were further delayed two days to reach their destination. But when they did reach Bitterbridge a large crowd had gathered to welcome them into the castle.</p><p>For Rhaegar this was not a new occurrence. Along the way to Bitterbridge, many villages had welcomed them to stay. He found no reason to decline the offer as the weather was hardly perfect for travel. Apparently, he was getting some fame for slaying the Black Septon from the Smallfolk. He approved that as this was the reason he went on that suicide mission. He was never going to pull a stunt like that again as he had stared death in the face at that moment and only luck saved him from the grip of death.</p><p>His attention shifted to the guards of House Caswell arrayed on either side of the road holding the banner of a yellow centaur. The guards were doing a good job of keeping the Smallfolk in order and giving his retinue a clear path to the castle. Nonetheless, he could hear some chanting being picked up from the Smallfolk but he could not pinpoint exactly what that was as he was forced to speed along with his entourage.</p><p>Ser Baelium and Ser Addison flanked him and they were quickly announced to enter the court held by his father. Rhaegar was a little nervous and annoyed that Aegon was holding a court promptly. When the herald called his name he walked in, head held high despite the weariness of his travel.</p><p>Rhaegar walked into a hall of the main keep of the castle and he found his father Aegon sitting at a table on the far end. He walked forward and at some point, he noticed that Ser Addison and Baelium fell back a few paces behind.</p><p>"Your grace."</p><p>Rhaegar knelt and bowed his head showing deference to his father and king. He was aware that the hall was filled with lords, knights and other important people.</p><p>"Rise my son. Tales of your battle against the bandits that plagued the Mander have reached our ears. You have performed admirably befitting the title of a royal prince." proclaimed Aegon in a powerful voice and Rhaegar could see how pleased Aegon was right now.</p><p>"I did my duty and I had help from Ser Addison, Ser Baelium and many other fine knights."</p><p>"Yes, you did. Yet you slew the bandit leader in single combat and brought an end to the reign of terror of this outlaw." said Aegon with pride evident in his voice before turning to address Ser Corlys Velaryon. "A fine deed won't you say Ser Corlys?"</p><p>"Yes your grace. A deed worthy of knighthood even if the prince is young." said Ser Corlys to Rhaegar's surprise. He was not the only one that was surprised by this proclamation as the people in the hall began to murmur excitedly at the events unfolding before their eyes.</p><p>"Then you may do the honours Ser."</p><p>Rhaegar looked up to meet the blue eyes of Ser Corlys that gave nothing away of his personal opinions on the matter. After all, it was unheard of to knight someone so young and Ser Corlys was a well-renowned knight.</p><p>Rhaegar felt the weight of the blade on his shoulder and the oath of a knight was recited. He never imagined that he would be knighted this early. A tourney, he expected but becoming a knight, that was something he thought was in the future.</p><p>So when the rites of knighthood were finished he rose to the applause of many in the hall. He was congratulated by many and was led to the high table to sit with his father. Then the bards began to sing their songs.</p><p>Hearing the songs Rhaegar realized that his father was well prepared. On one hand, he applauded the candid political move from his father yet a part of him felt like he didn't deserve the title. But that negative thought was carefully pushed down and he engaged in small talk with Robert Caswell the heir of Bitterbridge while keeping an ear out on the bards.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>With the darkest of mind</em>
</p><p>
  <em>and blackest of hearts</em>
</p><p>
  <em>lived a beast, in the skin of a man.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Red he drank, blood or wine</em>
</p><p>
  <em>red he reaped, heads or limbs</em>
</p><p>
  <em>with a heart as black as night.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>For the Stranger, he lived</em>
</p><p>
  <em>For the Stranger, he sinned</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Until a Dragon roared 'No more!'</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Stars stood witness</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And so did the Mander</em>
</p><p>
  <em>as the silver dragon slew the beast.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>On, the dragon went</em>
</p><p>
  <em>To kneel before the King</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Only to rise a knight, as Dragonknight!</em>
</p>
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